


Pandora's Prodigy

by Merfilly



Category: Star Trek - Various Authors, Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 08:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6415723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A set of scenes sandwiched between the end of the second movie and the first part of the fourth, from Saavik's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pandora's Prodigy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roeskva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roeskva/gifts).



There was a solid feeling of serenity, of calm and peace around her. Not for the first time, that alone jerked Saavik out of her sleep, her hands flexing for knives she no longer had access to. It was illogical that night always reverted her to the feral state she'd lived in while on Thieurrull, otherwise called Hellguard by the Federation.

The Federation were her people, not the Star Empire, not the roving packs of half-grown wild children. She was a Starfleet officer now, and it made no sense to continue to have these betrayals in her mind. 

Sleep would be difficult to find now. She sat up on the edge of her bed, carefully placing her face in her hands. In the privacy of her quarters, this still felt like a betrayal of the Vulcan tenets she tried to live by. Sometimes, though, emotion made it difficult to abide fully by all her teacher had given her. Surely, if he still lived, Spock would have understood.

That was another blow against her shields, her careful façade of being a proper Vulcan. She had mourned, deeply, the loss of that man. She had allowed herself to lose control, had used alcohol to drown her sorrows and her anger. How _dare_ the Admiral call Spock 'human'!?

Just remembering the eulogy had her angry all over again. It would take effort to find her center again.

Or she could find David Marcus. They had a mutually beneficial arrangement, and he never judged her for these lapses.

Yes, that would do. Fortunately for her, David was a civilian adviser, not actual Starfleet, or she would have been breaking regulations as well as philosophy.

* * *

This time, she knew why she was searching for a knife when she woke. Her body screamed its agony in time with the pain of her heart and soul. Genesis was far behind them, destroyed like her friend David. She knew (on instinct alone) that helping the young, mindless Spock on the planet had left behind consequences. She could deal with those once they were on Vulcan; McCoy was in no shape to assist her now. 

Why had David reacted the way he had? Saavik had not been against dying, but she also had known she was in better shape to actually fight for them. If she had taken the knife from the Klingon —

— there was no guarantee that she would have won fast enough to protect either of the males from the disruptors turned against them.

She ran her hands up into her hair and pulled, using that pain to sidetrack her from the muscle fatigue and her memories. They were going to Vulcan. She would wait there, take asylum with Sarek, until such time as she could trust herself again.

Would Spock remember what she had done for him, to ease the blood madness? She found herself hoping he would not. It had been necessary, and the logical thing to do. He, who had saved her from her past, had deserved every single bit of help she could give him in turn.

* * *

Sarek and Amanda both had welcomed her into their home, granting her a place of such peace that she woke every morning trying to find the knives to defend herself from the quiet. By day, though, that very peace, and her time assisting Amanda in the garden tasks, were assisting her in pulling her shredded grip on being a Vulcan back into focus.

Neither of Spock's parents had pressed her for why she had gone to the healers. They were as private as she was. This was reinforced by how they handled both her and the recovering Spock under their roof. While it was encouraged to share one meal, the others were at their own discretion, and small talk was limited to necessary information sharing.

It made it far easier to cope with Spock's presence, when he seemed so far from the venerable teacher of her memory.

"There is more to learn than what the computers can teach you," she said one evening to him. Amanda all but smiled her way, and Sarek even looked pleased, beneath his perfect Vulcan placidity.

Spock arched an eyebrow at her, then steepled his fingers in front of him. "The student will become the teacher?" he asked, as memories slotted into place.

"If you wish."

"I find the offer fascinating and generous. I accept."

* * *

Saavik returned from presenting her testimony via communique to Starfleet headquarters, her uniform feeling heavy in the desert air. She saw that Amanda was waiting for her, a pot of fragrant tea on the low table. Spock had left, following the phantom feeling of friendship and duty that bound him to Admiral Kirk.

Saavik almost envied him that, having a higher purpose to follow on his course of self-discovery. 

"Greetings, Amanda," she said softly, accepting the implicit invitation to join the woman for tea. "Thank you," she added as she settled on the low chair opposite her hostess.

"I am curious, as humans are wont to be, on your plans from here. Now that we are alone, I thought it wise to ask now, as the events of recent weeks have been quite chaotic," Amanda offered.

"I plan to return to my career," Saavik said, managing to maintain perfect Vulcan decorum. "I still wish to serve Starfleet."

"Of course," Amanda said. "You are aware that you will always have a home here, yes? Our son may not fully know himself yet, but that does not change who you are to us from before."

"This is logical," Saavik agreed, though there was a primal, feral child in her that relaxed fully to know she still had this kin-tie. "I am honored to belong," she added, to convey that it did matter to her on a deeper level.

Amanda gave a small, closed smile that looked so out of place to Saavik, given how well the human woman had adapted to her Vulcan lifestyle. "I wish to express my gratitude to you for assisting my son's recovery, and his survival." Now the face was perfectly serene again, and she made certain to meet Saavik's eyes directly. The implied knowledge skirted breaking Vulcan taboo, yet Saavik did not let that impact her answer.

"I would give my life, were that what it would take, to keep Spock safe."

"So I suspected, Saavik." Amanda sipped her tea lightly, then set it down. "I do not think it will take such drastic measures as that, but your dedication is a comfort to his mother."

Saavik permitted herself to nod at that, settling to enjoy the quiet. Someday, she might even look deeper at the reasons her emotions around Spock were more weighted than she thought was appropriate to a teacher. Until that day, she would be glad to be a part of his family and serve Starfleet faithfully.

**Author's Note:**

> Draws on _Pandora's Principle_ by Carolyn Clowes; the novelizations of _Wrath of Khan_ , _Search for Spock_ , _The Voyage Home_ , and a few behind the scenes interviews with Nicholas Meyer and Robin Curtis.


End file.
